Tom Wham and Snit's Revenge

January 24, 2019

The earliest memory I have of playing board games isn't with Monopoly or Chutes and Ladders. It's with Snit's Revenge. I have no idea how we got this game – whether my parents were somehow possessed to get this bizarre game, or one of my older brothers picked it up – but I have distinct memories of it. I mean, how could you not? Look at this board:

The photo is terrible (and for that I apologize), but just the look of it is enticing. Prolobostinator. Labotum. Mutorney. Fleotis. Does this thing have two buttholes? What is going on? As a possible 7-year-old (I don't remember exactly when I got it), this thing was amazing. I played it with my older brothers, and I remember the gameplay being hectic and fun. I just bought a used version, and look forward to trying it as an adult.

But one of the interesting things about this game – from a design standpoint – is how the game is asymmetric. And it still works. Which for a quick game, is pretty cool.

Assymmetric game design is when the gameplay is different for each player. So chess, for example, is symmetric – both players play in the same way. Examples of classic asymmetric board games include Scotland Yard and Betrayal at House on the Hill.

The different goals of the game really caught my imagination. But in doing some research into the game, I'm very happy to find out more about the guy behind it. Check this guy out.